AUSTRALIA
Perth Now
THE Hutchins School was told there was little chance a sex abuse victim would take legal action, but there was a danger he might use an apology to “go public”.
Correspondence between the school and its lawyers has been released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Between 1993 and last month, the school steadfastly refused to apologise to a victim of sexual abuse at the school during the 1960s, given the pseudonym AOA by the Commission.
In a 2002 letter to the school, Hobart lawyers Dobson, Mitchell and Allport said the legal risks were low, but an apology might pose public relations problems.
“These has never been much of a risk that AOA will commence legal proceedings against the school,” the letter said.
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